Announcement! If you’re a Gaslit Nation supporter on Patreon, join us for the first ever Gaslit Nation Game Night this Friday at 8:30pm ET, organized by Gaslit Nation listeners. The game of the night will either be Codenames or Chameleon. The Zoom link is posted in the Victory Chat as well as this episode page on Patreon!  When it comes to the DNC Chair election on February 1st, the only choice is Ben Wikler, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin since July 2019. None of the other candidates, except for Ken Martin, the state chair of the Democratic Party in Minnesota, even come close. Why? Because, unlike Martin, Wikler has faced off with the worst of our national demons in Wisconsin—a state that’s long been a laboratory for GOP autocracy, as detailed in Ari Berman’s must-read book Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People—and the Fight to Resist It. In this week’s bonus show Q&A, shaped by our Democracy Defender-level supporters and higher, we make the case for Wikler and break down the dynamics of a race that could shape not only the future of the Democratic Party but the soul of America. We also dive into the People’s March, formerly the Women’s March, and announce the Gaslit Nation sign contest for the best protest sign! Join Andrea at the march in New York City at 10 AM on Saturday, January 18th—details to come! To find a People’s March near you, or to help organize one if there isn’t already one in your area, check out this handy guide: https://map.peoplesmarch.com/local If you didn’t hear your question answered this week, keep an eye out for it soon as the Gaslit Nation Q&A continues! To our Democracy Defender-level folks and higher, submit your questions in a private message for the next Q&A! Thank you to everyone who supports the show—we couldn’t make Gaslit Nation without you! Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit! Show Notes: Books: What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures By Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, the marine biologist behind the Blue New Deal: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/645855/what-if-we-get-it-right-by-ayana-elizabeth-johnson/ The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by journalist David Wallace-Wells https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-uninhabitable-earth-life-after-warming-david-wallace-wells/12097261?ean=9780525576716 The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist's Guide to the Climate Crisis Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac, two of the architects of the Paris Climate Agreement https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-future-we-choose-the-stubborn-optimist-s-guide-to-the-climate-crisis-christiana-figueres/13156367?aid=1676&ean=9780593080931&listref=caring-for-the-earth-each-other-practicing-sustainable-living   Reading:  Researcher Jenny Cohn wrote a disturbing thread about Sillicon Valley bro-fascists setting their sights on Greenland: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1877052010559844478.html?utm_campaign=topunroll Historian Timothy Snyder on why the U.S. needs a Shadow Cabinet, like the U.K.: https://snyder.substack.com/p/shadow-cabinet A bombshell report confirming that Russian intelligence paid tens of millions of dollars to the Taliban to target American coalition forces in Afghanistan. What is Trump going to do about this as president? https://theins.ru/en/politics/277723   The Gerrymander Has Been Slayed: Wisconsinites Get Fair Maps for 2024 Election https://campaignlegal.org/update/gerrymander-has-been-slayed-wisconsinites-get-fair-maps-2024-election As Democrats Reel, Two Front-Runners Emerge in a Leadership Battle The race to lead the Democratic National Committee centers on the favorites, Ken Martin and Ben Wikler, but the party’s infighting over them looks nothing like a broad reckoning with its 2024 defeats. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/05/us/politics/dnc-race-ben-wikler-ken-martin.html The People’s March Website: https://www.peoplesmarch.com/ Trump’s inauguration coincides with an unprecedented string of high-stakes security events in DC https://apnews.com/article/trump-inauguration-security-a3df8ed878f2c0587f7038d68a0447f6   FTC antitrust case against Meta can move to trial, court rules. The decision marks a victory for the agency and its Democratic chair, Lina Khan, after early legal setbacks. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/11/13/meta-ftc-antitrust/   Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People--And the Fight to Resist It https://bookshop.org/p/books/minority-rule-ari-berman/19994801?ean=9780374600211    

On January 6, 2021, we watched on live television as Donald Trump and several Republican members of Congress incited a violent attempted overthrow of our democracy. This insurrection led to several deaths, including police officers who later died by suicide. When Joe Biden was sworn in as President in January 2021, Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress. Instead of using their time in power to pass a resolution or bill banning Trump and his supporters from holding office under the 14th Amendment's "insurrection clause" (Section 3), they held hearings that concluded with a report and a referral to the Department of Justice for possible criminal prosecution. In the 2022 midterms, Democrats lost the House due to America's worsening gerrymandering crisis. Attorney General Merrick Garland waited two years to appoint Special Prosecutor Jack Smith. While some credit the Democrats’ January 6 committee for prompting Garland to take action, the reality is that both Democrats and Garland wasted valuable time. In the four years since January 6, 2021, no resolution or bill was passed in Congress to enforce the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment. Instead, a group of voters and legal experts attempted to bar Trump from the ballot in Colorado, leading to legal cases such as Trump v. Anderson. In early 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that states could not bar federal candidates, and that applying the 14th Amendment was up to Congress. So, why didn’t Democrats act in 2021 and 2022 when they had two years to enforce the U.S. Constitution? We need an honest accounting of how an insurrectionist will be president just four years after leading a violent attempt to overthrow our democracy. Democrats deferred to Merrick Garland, who then deferred to Jack Smith, who ultimately dismissed his Trump cases in November 2024, after Trump won one of the closest elections in U.S. history. This election took place amid rampant disinformation and the consolidation of far-right media, including Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, turning it into a platform for (pro-Trump and Russia) disinformation–the largest in the world. At the same time, Republicans and the Supreme Court over the years undermined the Voting Rights Act and expanded voter ID laws–a modern day poll tax, disenfranchising 21 million Americans. As Andrea and Terrell discuss in this week’s episode, the 2024 election was neither free nor fair. The institutions meant to protect us failed. As Gaslit Nation has long warned, an unpunished attempted coup leads to a successful one. The institutionalists and controlled opposition who enabled this crisis don't realize they are not safe either. Once a dictator is in power, no one can control them. We also point out that George Orwell warned us about fascist bootlickers like Trump/Musk fanboy Lex Fridman, whose three-hour interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky can be summed up by Orwell’s quote: "Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." Gaslit Nation officially calls on Lex Fridman to stop quoting Orwell on his podcast—Orwell would have hated you. Want to enjoy Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, ad-free episodes, exclusive Q&A sessions, our group chat, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!   Show Notes:   Republicans just took control of the House because of partisan and racial gerrymandering. Here's how https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/16/2136410/-Republicans-just-took-control-of-the-House-because-of-partisan-and-racial-gerrymandering-Here-s-how   In Trump’s second term, evidence suggests corruption will be worse, not better Donald Trump’s first term was astonishingly corrupt. There’s already reason to believe his second will be worse. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-second-term-evidence-suggests-corruption-will-worse-not-better-rcna179589    U.S. to probe Tesla's 'Full Self-Driving' system after pedestrian killed https://www.npr.org/2024/10/19/g-s1-29030/us-probe-tesla-full-self-driving-system   The Republican Structural Advantage Republicans start every election cycle with structural advantages regardless of the issues and all the other factors that usually determine who wins elections. https://prospect.org/power/republican-structural-advantage/   How conservative media helped the far-right take over the Republican Party https://www.vox.com/2015/7/30/9074761/conservative-media-republican-party   How Media Consolidation Paved the Way for Right-Wing Insurrection A battle playing out at the Supreme Court could make media monopolies way worse. https://inthesetimes.com/article/supreme-court-media-consolidation-fcc-echo-chamber   Media Consolidation Means Less Local News, More Right Wing Slant https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/media-consolidation-means-less-local-news-more-right-wing-slant   The Right-Wing Media Takeover Is Destroying America The purchase of The Baltimore Sun is further proof that conservative billionaires understand the power of media control. Why don’t their liberal counterparts get it? https://newrepublic.com/post/178256/baltimore-sun-liberal-billionaires-media-failure   The growth of Sinclaire’s conservative media empire https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/22/the-growth-of-sinclairs-conservative-media-empire   How Gerrymandering Tilts the 2024 Race for the House Facebook LinkedIn Skewed maps give Republicans big advantages in 11 states, mostly in the South and Midwest. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/how-gerrymandering-tilts-2024-race-house   Elon Musk Being Investigated for Violating Terms of "Top Secret" Clearance He has become a major liability for the government. https://futurism.com/elon-musk-investigated-violating-terms-top-secret-clearance   Elon Musk didn’t show up for testimony in a probe over his $44 billion Twitter takeover. Now the SEC wants sanctions https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/20/tech/sec-sanctions-elon-musk-testimony-twitter-probe/index.html   The Women’s March Rebranded and Reorganized. Now They’re Ready for 2025 https://time.com/7203169/womens-march-donald-trump-protest-change/   ABC Settles With Trump in a Case It Could Have Won https://fair.org/home/abc-settles-with-trump-in-a-case-it-could-have-won/   Why Gerrymandering Has Gotten Worse https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-gerrymandering-has-gotten-worse/   The North Carolina GOP’s Latest Ploy to Steal a State Supreme Court Seat https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/12/north-carolina-gop-state-supreme-court.html   North Carolina’s Unfair Voting Maps Gave GOP Congress Majority https://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/article296319684.html   Judge agrees to dismiss Donald Trump's 2020 election interference case President-elect Trump faced charges over his handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, which culminated in the U.S. Capitol attack. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/jack-smith-files-drop-jan-6-charges-donald-trump-rcna181667    The lost year: How Merrick Garland’s Justice Department ran out of time prosecuting Trump for January 6 https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/06/politics/doj-trump-jan-6-riot/index.html  

Andrea will be speaking at the peaceful Now March this Friday, January 3rd, on Capitol Hill calling for Congress to take their final opportunity to stop MAGA fascism. Obviously the time to stop Russian-backed Trump was years ago, as Gaslit Nation has documented for years now. Andrea will join the Now March to support the tenacious organizers, to take a stand on the right side of history, and to never stop reminding people: none of this is normal. An unpunished coup is a dress rehearsal for a sucessful one, and that is where we are in America. For more information visit NowMarch.org and check out this video by Jessica Denson of Lights On, one of the main organizsers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkRnnglQm4U

Gareth Gore, a financial journalist and author of "Opus: The Cult of Dark Money," uncovers the sinister influence of Opus Dei, a shadowy organization tied to the Catholic Church. He connects Franco's Spain to the rise of Trump, revealing how Opus Dei's dark money shapes U.S. politics and values. The discussion delves into human trafficking, the manipulation of democratic processes, and the organization’s peculiar gender dynamics. Gore also shares chilling stories of recruitment tactics and the urgent need for grassroots activism to combat this growing power.

In a thought-provoking discussion, Dr. Emma Briant, a leading expert on disinformation warfare and co-editor of The Routledge Handbook on the Influence Industry, shares her insights on misinformation's impact. She emphasizes the mental health benefits of staying off social media and advocates for digital literacy to combat disinformation. The conversation also delves into the influence of propaganda in education, urging awareness to protect democratic values, and critiques the role of cultural products like media in shaping political narratives.

In this engaging conversation, Robert Schmuhl, author of Mr. Churchill in the White House, delves into Winston Churchill's surprising passion for painting. He reveals how art became a crucial source of solace and expression for Churchill during the dark times of World War II. The discussions highlight how Churchill used creativity to comment on political events and cope with stress, reaffirming the idea that art is essential for resilience and survival, even amidst the chaos of leadership.

In a riveting discussion, author Robert Schmuhl delves into the fascinating dynamics between Churchill and FDR during WWII. Living under the same roof, these iconic leaders managed their towering egos and contrasting styles amid global turmoil. Schmuhl shares insights on their self-care practices and how that resilience was vital for leadership. He also explores Churchill's struggles with depression and his controversial decisions during crises. Their partnership not only shaped military strategy but also resonates with today's political landscape.

Avi Meierstein, Founder and President of the Alliance for Middle East Peace, and Wasim Almasri, Director of Programs in Ramallah, explore a hopeful path to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. They discuss meaningful conflict resolution and the importance of grassroots movements in fostering cooperation. Meierstein highlights their successful advocacy for over $380 million in funding to empower peace initiatives. The conversation also addresses the dehumanization of Palestinians in media narratives and the urgent need for a political solution amidst ongoing challenges.

Dive into the complexities of the Syrian crisis and the resilience of its people amidst ongoing oppression. Discover the impact of foreign involvement and the vital importance of recognizing misinformation. Learn how personal stories shape collective action, especially in the context of Ukraine’s struggles. The discussion spans voting rights, homelessness, and the protection of trans individuals, emphasizing hope, empathy, and inclusive community engagement. Engage with the courage needed to challenge harmful narratives and celebrate strength in adversity.

The discussion kicks off with the emotional impact of recent violence and critiques America's healthcare system. A deep dive into Luigi Mangione's case raises questions about his potential scapegoating versus actual guilt. Contradictions in his character and the crime's sophistication are explored. The investigation's complexity is highlighted, revealing public pressures on law enforcement. Finally, listeners grapple with whether Mangione represents a manipulated victim or an active participant in troubling ideologies.